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Gunnifer Ironwind
Gunnifer, also known as "Gunn", was a human Paladin and member of the Joy Bois. She was played by Ivan LeRoy. Introduction "Wanna know how one remains tethered to this world with only half a soul? A will to live, an uncompromising desire to belong where they shouldn't and the strength to defend it." Appearance Gunnifer was a fourteen year-old Berian human. Like all people of her race, she was born with dark hair (with grey streaks), dark brown skin, and red eyes. She was muscular but lithe, standing at 5' 8" tall. Unlike her people, however, the grey streaking hairs on her temples form the shape of wings. These wings changed to the shape of horns whenever she was angry or expelling vast amounts of power. Her left hand (beginning at the forearm) was amputated and replaced with a gauntlet prosthetic. She always wore armor, even when she slept. After becoming Death's Emissary, her eyes changed to the color blue and was constantly surrounded by an aura that constantly shifted between black and white. Personality Gunnifer is unusually curmudgeon and mature for her age. However, she can be hot-tempered and emotional when challenged. She remains silent in social situations until it meets her interests, and has a habit of employing complex words to sound more persuasive. She is an adept tactician in regards to war and politics. Despite being the youngest in the group, she thinks of herself as the only one capable of making adult decisions and puts her goals above others' with a consistent belief that ends justify the means; a constant point of conflict between her and the party. Although she begins questioning this philosophy towards the end of the campaign. If her party refuses to follow her lead, she will march on ahead without them, assuming they'll follow. Biography Background (Pre-Campaign) Gunn was birthed premature and stillborn in Beria following a dragon attack which also claimed the lives of her biological parents. She is presumed dead and refused a burial by her clan out of fear of a bad omen. Soon after, she begins to cry and is rescued by Kova against the clan's approval and the two are ostracized. Kova is initially distant and fearful of Gunn, having difficulties overcoming his own prejudices and the constant pressures of his clan to abandon her. However, following their cruel and abusive treatment toward her, Kova becomes attached and protective. Upon discovering Gunn's supernatural abilities, he reasons that with proper training she may be accepted as Beria's protector. However, Kova becomes terminally ill, and as conditions in Beria grow harsher with the extinction of their race imminent, Kova is forced to expedite this process and enlist Gunn in a controlled culling and coup over all of Beria's clans. The Berians catch on to their plans and kill Kova. They fail in their first attempt to kill Gunnifer, and she retaliates in a murderous rampage that wipes out half of Beria's population. In a final desperate effort from the Berians, led by Chief Hanno, they manage to cut off her left hand and push her into the ocean. Gunn is found washed-up ashore and barely surviving by Professor Howard, a member of the Eldritch City Council. He heals and shelters her in secret at the Eldritch Academy, concealing her identity as a student. Gunn begrudgingly remains in his care as she continues to recover, but refuses to participate in classes and get along with the other students, forcing Howard to keep her quartered in his lab where he privately tutors her. During this time Gunn begins to hear voices that lead her to one of the school's hidden chambers. There, a spirit within a sword introduces itself as Charlemagne, a legendary warrior who offers her the power and guidance to save the people of Beria and all of Umon upon swearing an oath to each other. Swearing this oath combines their strength and merges their souls, granting them incredible power. Charlemagne also tells her that there are two other legendary sword spirits, once combined, will make them unstoppable. Gunn flees the Academy in search of these swords. History (Campaign) Foul Fanged Fiends & the Child Eater Gunn's search quickly leads her to the Joy Bois, whose leader at the time, Fillin, is unwittingly carrying the legendary sword Ravenmore. To the rest of the party's horror, Fillin incapacitates her with a bolt of lightning and has her tied up for questioning. She successfully feigns innocence, but cannot help but boast that she is a paladin. The party reluctantly allows her to join them on their trip to Saslami, assuming she is simply a confused child. While visiting Fillin's childhood home Gunn is targeted by his father, the vampire lord Giren, who separates her from Charlemagne. This reveals to the party her crippling dependence on the sword as both her holy symbol and emotional support. The party is nearly wiped out working together to fight Giren while reuniting her with the sword, and upon doing so, Gunn demonstrates her devastating strength for the first time. Despite making quick work of Giren, she encourages a grieving and fleeing Brooklyn to inflict the killing blow. The party reasons that Gunn will be a necessary powerhouse going forward and allow her to stay with the group, despite revealing her ambitions to take Fillin's sword. When the party returns to the Eldritch City Academy, Gunn presents the purple gem they acquired to Professor Howard in exchange for ownership of the sword she stole. Seeing as she has unlocked the sword's hidden potential, Howard reluctantly agrees, as long as she continues to report her observations. When the party plans their excursion to Matriarch, Gunn insists they should travel via ocean to avoid Beria. Just before they depart, however, their ship is attacked by unknown assailants who target and kidnap Brooklyn. During this attack Gunn is struck by an unknown force of energy that reduces her power output and blocks communication to Charlemagne. Without Charlemagne's guidance, Gunn becomes more distant and hostile towards the party. While rescuing Brooklyn in the Chorroco's domain, Gunn kills Fillin and takes Ravenmore. With two of the three swords in her possession, she reasons that she'll have enough power to rule Beria and now insists traveling there on the way to Matriarch. Rogues Gallery & Never Say Die On their way to Beria the party is attacked by bandits and they all fall into an underground dungeon where an enormous fortune is rumored to be hidden. Gunn is initially enthusiastic about embarking on this side quest until the numerous traps begin targeting her insecurities. One trap in particular, a black void, crushes and kills her. She is hastily revived by Harper and loses everything but her swords. Disturbed and embarrassed by this ordeal, she caves to growing paranoia and begins turning the party against each other. She strikes a deal with Mars to protect each other's interests from the rest of the group's misguided antics. Upon discovering the dungeon's hidden treasure room, Gunn equips herself with new armor to replace the old Berian set she lost. Escaping the dungeon through a complex tunnel network, they arrive on the coastline bordering Beria and Matriarch where they discover the massacre of Berian warriors by a ruthless black knight. Gunn is angered and challenges the knight from the deck of their ship, but the party drives the ship away before he can reach them. Gunnifer's Travels The following evening, their ship is caught in a powerful storm and washes up on the shores of Beria. Gunn commandeers control of the party and leads them in a search for her people, only to find the land empty, devastated and littered with frozen corpses. While the party rests in Jah Qui's nearby home village, Harper helps Gunn visit her old home in an attempt to provide closure. This only emboldens Gunn and she reveals to Harper that she is responsible for most of her people's deaths and proud of it. Gunn comes across a lone dragonborn barbarian, Rogal, and the two immediately strike a friendship. While enlisting the party's help to cull murderous ice giants from the land, they form a new "Ironwind Clan". After avenging his old fallen clan, however, Rogal retires from adventuring but tells Gunn she can always find him in the city of Stephfire. The party eventually finds Beria's last surviving Tribe. Barely surviving, they have resorted to submitting to the whims of the white dragon, Fangfir. They refuse Gunn's assistance, exclaiming they would rather bow to a dragon than her. Angered by this sentiment, she goads Fangfir into attacking the Tribe once more and forces their desperate consideration of her leadership. She demands that after killing Fangfir they bow to her. Following the battle with Fangfir, the third and final legendary sword Kurtana rejects her and chooses Jah Qui as its wielder instead. She threatens to kill Jah Qui, but Kurtana declares that under no circumstance will she ever be able to be it's wielder because she is selfish and insane. During this time, Ravenmore also flees Gunn's possession and she is unable to find it. During her search she meets and befriends three friendly trolls and allows them to temporarily join the party. A blood wolf ambush forces them to return to the Tribe, only to find they've already been consumed. Culling the beasts before they threaten Eldritch, the last remaining Berian survivor (a young boy named Byron) is found. In a private conversation Gunn rejects her Berian heritage and demands he join the newly formed Ironwind Clan. However, it is revealed the purple gem acquired from Fangfir has rooted itself into Gunn's consciousness and kills Byron. The being inside the gem, Gundran, preys upon Gunn's insecurities and warns her that she cannot trust anyone. From the party's perspective, it looks as if she killed Byron and they are left to question her sanity. New Deal & the Greater Good Gunn herself is unsure if the being was real or if she murdered Byron out of cold blood. Gundran taunts her in a dream, and before succumbing to her despair, Howard telepathically enters to comfort her. Howard's unwavering compassion for Gunn strengthens her resolve to keep Gundran's influence at bay until she is able to safely return it to him in Eldritch. She is also briefly telepathically visited by Father Perez, a Matriarchan priest who offers to teach her how to control the gem's power. Howard presents her with an anti-scrying box to prevent further incidents with the gems they find, but Mars remarks that it's actually a teleporting box so Howard may acquire all the gems for himself. This fuels Gunn's growing distrust and she severs ties with Mars, warning that if he threatens her or Howard again she will not hesitate to kill him. Following these devastating events, Gunn finds herself lost and without purpose. From this point she proceeds to make destruction of the gems her primary goal. She also begins approaching others with more compassion and an open mind, starting with the captured assailant she tortures for information, Autumn, and members of the Ward Guard who imprison them. After being released and granted safe passage into Matriarch by members of the Shaded Thorns, Gunn is forced to sign a contract with the shadow group. However, she remarks that her signature is worthless and renegotiates with the leader, Gream. Honor bound by her word, she will assist in their affairs whenever it is convenient to the party. While attempting to reclaim their ship the party is ambushed by the serial killer, Patrick Rippy, and Gunn nearly succeeds in killing him before bridging an uneasy alliance with the Ward Guard. However, before they can cement a deal she is transported to Father Perez's church will they spend the day talking to each other. Gunn empathizes with Perez and notices the similarities between his ambitions and that of Kova and Howard. She agrees to aid him in his quest to destroy the gems, but warns that she will be keeping him in check and will kill him if he grows consumed by their power. Perez also reveals that he is the one who employs the black knight, Brayargh, and severed her communication to Charlemagne as a test. He proceeds to release him and leaves the two alone to catch up before their journey. Gunn and Charlemagne immediately come to the consensus that Perez is a dangerous threat that must be stopped. They enlist Jah Qui's help and divide the rest of the party for an ambush. However, Gunn hesitates at the beginning of the fight and is quickly overwhelmed by Brayargh. Gunn mourns for Perez after his death and defeat, and wishes to properly bury him. However, Mars loots his corpse and proceeds to decapitate the corpse for experimentation, angering Gunn. Following a skirmish with demons over the custody of their newfound ally, Damien, the gems Gunn acquired disappear from the anti-scrying box and she fears that Howard has indeed betrayed her. Gunn departs from the party and heads to Eldritch alone and prepared to fight Howard if necessary. As You Like It Traveling through an eerily empty Beria, Gunn deliberates with Charlemagne the merits of her own quest and misdeeds, and questions if she deserves her power any more than her fallen foes did. Charlemagne attempts to assure her that the greater good often requires necessary evils, but she no longer finds comfort in his words. After reconvening with the party, Gunn storms the Eldritch Academy and confronts Howard, but discovers that he does not have the missing gems in his possession. Exhausted by his research and angered by her accusations, he teleports Gunn and the party out of the Academy. Gunn remembers Autumn's claims of aligning with Eldritch's Military and reasons that she took the gems and brought them to her employers. With the assistance of the Second Overseer, they are granted an audience with the Eldritch City Council. Before they can form a plan of action together to destroy the gems, the city is attacked by giants and Gunn takes it as an opportunity to steal all the gems amid the chaos. However, a council member, Rochetie, transports them all to his hideout and reveals himself to be the puppet master behind all the events of the campaign. Before the party is killed, Charlemagne and Kurtana release their spirits from the swords and die to give them time to escape. Before they flee the city in search of Eldorado, Harper and Howard attempt to console Gunn, but she has now completely closed off her heart. She remarks that she will reattune to her old powers before getting revenge on Rochetie. However, as weeks pass Gunn is unable to reclaim her old power and appears to be getting weaker. Boss Rush Once the party reaches Eldorado, they are met by the Master of Antiquity who teaches them the origin and history of their universe. Taking particular interest in Gunn, he informs her that dying before birth has left her with a fraction of a soul, and the only reason she has remained tethered to this world is through sheer force of will and the assistance of Charlemagne. However, without Charlemagne, Gunn's soul has run out of time and is slowly dying. During the Archangel Trials, Gunnifer sacrifices herself to save the rest of the party from the Chorroco. She is transported to the River of the Renewal where she meets and converses with Death. Impressed with her will to live and the empathy she's acquired, he requests that she briefly return to the living world as his emissary. She agrees and is bestowed a new weapon, the war axe Death's Favor. However, if her soul is to be restored and reborn she must return to the River of Renewal before she permanently fades from existence. Gunnifer returns to face off against Brayargh once more in the final trial and narrowly defeats it. However, instead of delivering the final blow she comforts it and the two express shared fears of death and sadness over their failed pursuits of power. She asks Brayargh if they can meet again in the next life, but it insists it has no soul and will not receive renewal. Gunnifer bids Brayargh farewell and destroys the rest of its armor with a shocking grasp. When bestowed the Atomic Hammer for completing the Trials, she instead gives it to Brooklyn as recognition for being the strongest warrior she knows. Spending some alone time together after, Gunnifer and Brooklyn open up about their pasts and gain a better closure each other's impending departures. She also expresses interested in visiting the beach one last time before she is called back to the River of Renewal. Before they depart, the Master of Antiquity bestows onto her the investiture of Wind. Finale Arriving at the God Throne, Gunnifer is the one to convince the Storm Giant guards into peacefully assisting them in their search for Kazzarn, who in turn gives the party their key to the Guardian to finally stop Gundren. During their mech battle with the Giant Gundren, she operates the Guardian's left arm which swings the Atomic Hammer. After the battle, before being called back to his home world, Brooklyn asks the Master of Time for a Beach Day for the party to enjoy. At the end of this day, Death arrives to reclaim Gunnifer, but she refuses to leave without seeing Howard one last time. Death breaks the news to her that Howard perished during the battle for Eldritch City, and she tearfully returns to the River of Renewal after saying her last goodbyes to the group. However, instead of immediately passing on she is met by Howard, and the two are given a day to spend together. Gunnifer noticeably has been given her left hand back and a whole soul. Both vow to meet again and hold hands before passing on. Trivia * In Episode 19, Gunnifer is first introduced as being 15 years old. However, whenever her age is brought up again and in spite of how much time has passed since her introduction, LeRoy insists that she has just turned 14 years old. In the One-Shot 'Welcome to JoyLand', Howard insists that Gunnifer has just turned 13. LeRoy mentions Gunnifer's age was rendered younger and inconclusive amongst characters to eliminate the risk of sexual advances towards the character by PCs and NPCs, something that he often voiced his discomfort with throughout early episodes of the campaign. * According to LeRoy and Freddie, Gunnifer and Brayargh's rivalry began during a play test session. LeRoy mentions twice in show that Gunnifer feels an odd sense of deja vu whenever she fights Brayargh, a callback to this fight which both player and DM have openly lamented was not recorded for the audience. Gunnifer, at level 5, apparently defeated the level 12 Brayargh before it self-destructed and rendered her unconscious.